Mac Pro Digital Output (Toslink) to audio card digital input (SPDIF)?

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Mac Pro Digital Output (Toslink) to audio card digital input (SPDIF)?

Hi,
Is it possible to connect the Digital Output from the Mac Pro (2008 latest model) which I think is Toslink to a Digital Input SPDIF on audio cards directly?

Do I just need a cable with the right connectors at each end of do I need some sort of converter?

Does anyone know how good the digital output from the back of the Mac Pro is for Pro or Semi Pro Audio? Anyone uses it?

I'm trying to see if it is possible to connect the digital output from the Mac straight into the SPDIF digial input in my audio interface (KRK ERGO)

Thank you

Mac Pro 8 Cores 2.8Ghz, Mac OS X (10.5.5)

Posted on Dec 18, 2008 2:25 AM

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Answer 1

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flommer

Level 2

170 points

Dec 18, 2008 11:51 AM in response to TC_MACPRO

To answer your question, no you can not take the optical digital audio from your Mac's tolink connector and plug it directly into the coax digital connector on the KRK ERGO. At least I'm pretty sure... The KRK website is terrible to try and see exactly what the ERGO has for connectors (it appears that the marketing people had more of a say than the geeks about what went on to the webpage) There are converter boxes that will take an optical signal and convert it to copper wire...

But that said, I'm pretty sure that you would want to connect via FireWire because the thing is actually an audio interface in it's own right. You gain nothing by going out of the Mac Pro's optical out...

As far as quality goes, digital audio is digital audio.... UNTIL you convert it to analog and run it through some speakers. In your case, the ERGO will be doing the D/A conversion so I would suspect it's quality will be higher than the built in line-out of the Mac, for example.

Make sense?

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Answer 2

TC_MACPRO Author

Level 1

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Dec 19, 2008 2:38 AM in response to flommer

Yes I will want to connect via Firewire, the Digital connection would be ok to use if I didn't need the Firewire I/O features

I have been suggested this as a way to go from Map Pro to ERGO Digital

_M-Audio Co2, Coaxial/optical bi-directional converter:_

http://www.ramelectronics.net/audio-video/audio-converters-extenders/coax-s-pdif -to-from-optical-toslink/m-audio-co2-digital-audio-converter-9900-40746-00/prodM AU00001.html

Hopefully the firewire issue between Apple/Ergo gets sorted soon and I won't need to use the convertor

Thank you for your reply

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